Google Simplifies URL Removal in Webmaster Tools

Having incorrect or private URLs show up in a Google search result can be a pain. Trying to remove them is no party, either. Google has now made it a bit easier for Webmasters to remove URLs from the Google index.

Previously, the tool first required webmasters to block access to the page or file via robots.txt before it could be removed. That requirement has now changed. Google Webmaster tools requires site owners to verify their sites. So the Webmaster Tools team will now simply accept Remove URL requests. Kind of.

Once you use the tool to request a URL to be removed, Google will consider that request “temporary.” This means that while Google won’t display the URL in its results, GoogleBot will continue to crawl the URL for the next 90 days. During this time, you have the option to change your mind and revoke your remove URL request.

If you really want to make sure the URL is permanently removed, Google recommends you continue to use a noindex tag, robots.txt file, or have it return a 404 (Not Found) or 410 (Permanently Removed) status code.